Genital Herpes - Home Treatment
Home treatment for genital herpes focuses on relieving symptoms, reducing the risk of recurrent outbreaks, and helping you cope with a lifelong condition.
To reduce discomfort from herpes sores:
Genital Herpes Medications Chart
Currently there is no cure for genital herpes. The good news is that some drugs have been effective in reducing the duration and frequency of herpes outbreaks. The decision to use one treatment over another for genital herpes depends on many factors that must be discussed with your health care provider: Have you had a previous outbreak? The first episode of genital herpes is usually the worst and often has other symptoms like fever and fatigue. Recurrent outbreaks aren't usually as painful...
Read the Genital Herpes Medications Chart article > >
- Take warm sitz baths or wash the area with warm water 3 or 4 times a day.
- In between sitz baths, keep the sores clean and dry.
- Using a hair dryer to dry off the sores may be more comfortable than using a towel.
- Wear cotton underpants, which absorb moisture better than those made from synthetic material.
Nonprescription medicines may reduce the pain and fever from genital herpes.
To lower the risk of recurrent outbreaks, reduce or avoid factors that trigger outbreaks, such as overexposure to sun, fatigue, irritation of the genital area, and stress.
Finding out that you have genital herpes may cause you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself or about sex, such as:
- Feeling ashamed or embarrassed.
- Being afraid of the consequences of the infection.
- Being angry at the person who infected you.
- Feeling frustrated with treatment or recurrent outbreaks.
- Feeling scared to have sex.
A counselor or support groups for people with herpes may be helpful. For more information, see the Other Places to Get Help section of this topic.
Genital herpes can be bothersome. But if you are a healthy adult, you do not need to worry that it will cause serious problems.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
